The Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE) announced on Thursday that it has imposed a fine of 70,000 euros on EDP Gás SU, now known as Gás SU.
“The sanction is due to the fact that after the entry into force of Decree-Law No. 57-8/2022 of September 6, which allowed the transition of final customers with annual consumption of up to 10,000 m3 (domestic consumers) to the regulated natural gas sale tariff regime, the company did not submit to the Change of Supplier Logistical Operator, within a maximum period of five business days, the contracting requests made by customers,” stated a communiqué released by the regulator.
According to ERSE, “as a result, it did not ensure the maximum three-week period for the completion of the supplier change“.
“As part of the transaction procedure, provided for in the Energy Sector Sanctioning Regime, Gás SU submitted to ERSE a Transaction Proposal with the confession of facts and recognition of its responsibility for negligence, and the ERSE Board of Directors reduced the single fine from 140,000€ to 70,000€. Gás SU waived litigation, demonstrated correction of the detected infringements, and proceeded to full payment of the fine,” noted the Energy Services Regulatory Authority.
It should be noted that “the initiation of the administrative offense process originated from a complaint presented by a consumer, due to indications of a breach of the submission deadline to the OLMC for a request for supplier change. Subsequently, elements contained in an Administrative Offense Report sent to ERSE by ENSE – National Entity for the Energy Sector, E.P.E., were attached, and investigative steps were undertaken, particularly with the OLMC”.
The Energy Services Regulatory Authority explains that “on May 16, 2025, the ERSE Board of Directors decided the inquiry, initiating the instruction through the Notice of Illegality notified to Gás SU, highlighting the violation of the duty to submit requests made by customers to the OLMC within a maximum period of five business days, as it submitted a total of 2,065 cases in October and November 2022, between 22 and 80 days after the contracting request, also not ensuring the maximum three-week period for the completion of the supplier change”.
“The duty to provide, in energy supply contracts with customers, information regarding the right of choice on the methodology to be applied for consumption estimate purposes was also violated,” explains the energy sector regulator.
According to the Energy Consumer Support Bulletin, published by the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE), the number of intervention requests to ERSE between April and June of this year recorded a slight decrease of 3%, amounting to 1,097, compared to the previous quarter, which had totaled 1,130.
Lusa | 11:22 – 05/08/2025
